Liquid dispensing container having a gravity actuated closure



June 17, 1969 v. D. WRIGHT E L 3,450,315

LIQUID DISPENSING CONTAINER HAVING A GRAVITY ACTUATED CLOSURE Filed Sept. 25, 1967 IIIII fmj lwd/f 1 Amway/5% United States Patent US. Cl. 222-479 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for use with bottles and the like in the sealing and dispensing of the bottles liquid contents has a teardrop head which controls the flow of a liquid from the bottle. The head is coupled to a body which is adapted to fit in the neck of the bottle. The body has an axial bore for passage of the liquid. The bore at its upper terminus is defined by a frusto-conical section. This section provides a seat for a spherical portion of the head to seal the bottles contents. A breather tube is employed which has two outlets to atmosphere. These outlets are oriented to prevent their plugging by the user of the device.

Background of the invention This invention relates to sealing and dispensing devices in general and in particular to devices for use in storing and dispensing the liquid contents of a bottle.

Prior liquid stopper and dispensing devices include a body and a displaceable head. The body is adapted for insertion in the neck of a bottle and has a passage for dispensing liquid. The passage is sealed, when the device is not used, by the head. When liquid is poured from the bottle, the head falls out of its seat to free the passage. Typically, a breather tube is employed to communicate the interior of the bottle with atmosphere in order to allow free pouring of the bottles contents.

The head or ball employed to seal the bottle obstructed passage of liquid from the bottle because the ball falls in the path of pouring liquid. The ball, which is typically spherical in shape, created a flow pattern which was relatively wide because the liquid disassociated itself from the ball at approximately the latters diameter.

The breather tubes previously employed have but a single outlet which is often covered by the user of the device when liquid is poured from the bottle. The covering of the breather outlet results in irregular, spasmodic liquid flow as opposed to the free, smooth and continuous flow of liquid which the tube was designed to effect.

Summary of the invention The present invention provides an improved liquid stopper and dispensing device which effects a controlled liquid discharge from a bottle and, in preferred form, prevents the inadvertent masking or blocking of a breather outlet.

In one form, the liquid stopper and dispensing device includes a body which has a lower end portion, an upper end portion and an axial passage or bore. The lower end portion of the body is adapted to fit into the neck of a bottle. Preferably, a plug is provided which has an interior bore that receives the cylindrical, lower end portion of the body and which is capable of insertion into the bottles neck to seal its contents and hold the device in place. The upper end portion of the body defines a frusto-conical section of the passage which flares upwardly and outwardly to provide a seat for a stopper and dispensing member. The frusto-conical section of the passage is in communication with the general cylindrical section of the passage which opens into the interior of the bottle. The stopper and dispensing member is in the form of a head which has a teardrop nose and a generally spherical bottom. The spherical bottom is adapted to seat in the frusto-conical portion of the passage, while the teardrop nose controls liquid poured from the bottle into a smooth and continuous stream. The head is retained with the body through a keeper held in the cylindrical section of the bore. The keeper is operable to allow the head to unseat when liquid is poured. A breather tube is provided to prevent irregular flow of liquid by communicating the interior of the bottle with atmosphere.

In preferred form, the breather tube has two outlets to atmosphere which are disposed such that the user of the device will not cover both outlets and thereby prevent the action of the breather tube. The breather tube outlets may conveniently be provided in an annular flange which circumscribes the body and extends radially outward of its main portion. One of the outlets extends radially through the flange while the other outlet opens to atmosphere at an inward position on the body. To insure against the covering of both breather tube outlets, it is preferred to form the stopper and dispensing device with a frustoconical intermediate section which tapers upwardly from the flange. The inner breather outlet is located proximate the junction of the inverted frusto-conical portion and the flange, and the outer outlet is located along the perimeter of the flange. The flange and the large upper portion of the intermediate portion, then, provide a guard for the inner breather tube outlet.

In more specific form, the liquid stopper and dispensing device of the present invention terminates the frustoconical intermediate portion by necking the portion inwardly to meet the upper end portion which contains the inverted frusto-conical section of the passage. The intermediate portion provides an interior, annular shoulder at the upper terminus of the cylindrical section of the bore. The conical portion of the bore is communicated with the cylindrical portion of the bore through a restricted neck section. The keeper employed to retain the head includes a narrow stem which is attached to the head and extends into the cylindrical section of the bore through the neck portion of the bore. The lower terminus of the stem is attached to a cross member which contacts the annular shoulder to prevent the head from leaving the body.

The stopper and dispensing device of the present invention provides a simple and expedient device for sealing a liquid in a bottle and for controlling the steam of liquid poured from the bottle. The teardrop nose of the stopper and dispensing member allows liquid to pour around the head and leave at the nose. Without the teardrop nose, the head would simply pro-vide an obstruction to liquid flow and create a large uncontrolled stream of liquid. In short, the teardrop feature allows liquid to cling to the head and be discharged at its nose in a continuous and relatively thin and controlled stream.

The breather tube arrangement of the present invention also aids in the dispensing of liquid from the bottle. By providing the inward, guarded outlet, inadvertent masking of the outlet is reduced. The double outlet feature, with one of the outlets extending radially further from its complementary outlet, insures even further against the blocking of the breather tube. With the free breather tube, liquid discharged from the bottle will flow as a continuous stream instead of in the previous interrupted, irregular manner produced by air flowing into the bottle through the liquid passage when the breather tube was blocked, as in prior art devices.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of 3 the present invention will become more apparent from the following description, figure and appended claims.

Brief description of the figure The single figure shows, partly in half section, the preferred form of the liquid stopper and dispensing device of the present invention.

Description of the preferred embodiment The liquid stopper and dispensing device of the present invention is shown in general by reference numeral in the figure. The device includes a body 12, a stopper and dispensing member 14 and a breather tube 16. Liquid stopper and dispensing member 10 is used with a bottle 17.

Body 12 has an axial bore 18 throughout its length. This bore includes a cylindrical portion 20 which terminates at one end at an interior annular shoulder 22 of body 12. Cylindrical podtion 20 terminates at its other end in the interior of bottle 17. A restricted neck portion 24 of bore 18 opens into cylindrical portion 20. An inverted frusto-conical section 26 of bore 18 opens into neck portion 24. The inverted frusto-conical portion provides a seat for stopper and dispensing member 14. The body further includes a generally cylindrical lower portion 28 for receipt in the neck of bottle 17. Plug 30 is disposed around cylindrical portion 28 and is adapted for a tight fit in the neck of the bottle to seal its contents and hold device 10 in place. Plug 30 is preferably made of a resilient elastic material such as cork or rubber. An annular flange 32 extends radially from the axis of bOdy 12 over the upper surface of plug 30. The intermediate portion of the body includes an inverted frusto-conical section 34 which meets annular flange 32 at the sections narrowest portion and extends upwardly and outwardly towards the top of the device. An upper portion 36 of "body 12 defines the frusto-conical passage 26. Upper portion 36 meets frusto-conical intermediate portion 34 at an annular neck 38. Cylindrical portion 28 has a roughened outer cylindrical surface for engaging plug 30. This surface is indicated by reference numeral 40 and may be formed by knurls, serrations or the like.

Stopper and dispensing member 14 includes a head 50 which has a teardrop nose 52. The lower portion of head 50 is generally spherical in shape to seat in the frustoconical portion of passage 18. Head 50 is retained with body 12 by keeper 54. Keeper 54 includes a stem 56 which is attached to the lower portion of head 50 and extends inwardly of cylindrical bore 20. Cross member 58 is attached at the lower terminus of stem 56 and is larger in lateral dimension than the diameter of neck section 24. Cross member 58 will conact interior annular shoulder 22 to hold dispensing member 14 when liquid is poured from the bottle. Stem 56 is sufficient in length to allow the unseating of head 50 and the free flow of liquid through bore 18.

Breather tube 16 extends for a slight distance into the interior of the bottle and up along the interior wall of bore 18. Breather tube 16 has a pair of outlets 60 and 62. Outlet 62 extends radially through flange 32 and opens at its peripheral, radial edge. Outlet 62 extends upwardly from its communication point with the interior of tube 16 to a point proximate the junction of flange 32 and intermediate portion 34. The outwardly flared intermediate portion 34 and flange 32 guard outlet 62 from the users fingers and therefore insure free communication of breather tube 16 during use of the device. Outlet 60 at its radial position cooperates with interior outlet 62 to prevent the inadvertent closure of tube 16 to atmosphere.

In use, the bottle is simply tilted to allow liquid to flow into and through cylindrical bore 20. Stopper and dispensing member 14 will unseat from conical passage 26 by gravity. Liquid will flow through neck 24 and frustoconical section 26 onto the surface of head 50. The liquid will tend to cling to the surface of head 50 because of teardrop nose 52 but will disassociate itself from the surface of the nose into a receptacle. Stopper and dispensing device 14 is held with body 12 by the contact of cross member 58 with interior annular shoulder 22.

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid stopper and dispensing device for use with bottles and the like comprising:

(a) a body having a lower end portion, an upper end portion, an intermediate portion between the end portions, and an axial bore,

(i) the axial bore extending longitudinally through the body and including an inverted, frustoconical section in the upper end portion of the body,

(ii) the lower end portion of the body being adapted for receipt in the neck of the bottle, and

(iii) the intermediate portion including a radial, annular flange extending outwardly therefrom;

(b) a stopper and dispensing member having (i) a head with a teardrop nose and a generally spherical bottom, the bottom being adapted to seat in the inverted, frusto-conical section of the bore to seal the contents of the bottle, and

'(ii) keeper means operable to allow the unseating of the head from the frusto-conical section when liquid is dispensed from the bottle while retaining the head with the body and allowing flow of liquid through the bore, around the head and off its teardrop nose; and

(c) breather passage means operable to communicate the interior of the bottle with atmosphere through a first and a second breather outlet, the first outlet being radially outward on the flange and the second outlet being radially inward of the first outlet.

2. The device claimed in claim 1 wherein:

(a) the intermediate portion includes an inverted, frusto-conical portion diverging upwardly from the inward terminus of the flange towards the upper end portion of the body to provide a guard for the second breather outlet; and

(b) the second breather outlet is proximate the junction of the flange and the inverted, frusto-conical portion of the intermediate portion.

3. The device claimed in claim 2 wherein:

(a) the bore includes a generally cylindrical section in the lower end portion of the body;

(b) the intermediate portion of the body necks in- Wardly to meet the upper end portion of the body to define an interior, annular shoulder at the upper terminus of the cylindrical section of the bore;

(0) the bore includes a neck section communicating the frusto-conical and cylindrical sections of the bore, the neck section opening into the cylindrical section at the interior shoulder; and

(d) the keeper means includes a stem attached to the head and extending through the neck section into the cylindrical section of the bore and a cross memher at the lower end of the stem of larger lateral dimension than the bores neck section, the cross member retaining the head by contact with the annular shoulder.

4. The device claimed in claim 3 including an annular elastic plug having an interior bore, the lower end portion of the body being received by the plugs interior bore with the plug abutting the lower, radial surface of the flange, the plug being adapted for insertion into the neck of the bottle to hold the stopper and dispensing device in place and to seal the bottles interior with the cylindrical bore section open to such interior, the exterior surface of the lower portion being roughened to engage the interior bore of the plug.

5. The device claimed in claim 3 wherein the breather means includes a tube mounted in the body in communication with the first and second breather outlets, the tube extending through the cylindrical secion of the bore.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited 21,387,699 10/1945 Bates 222--500 X UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,507,840 Varga X 8/1862 Preston 222-500 X WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner. 3/1910 Natt 222-500 X 6/1911 Garnet 222501 X 5 US. Cl. X.R. 10/1935 Berendt 222-500 X 222-481, 500 

